Ballroom
Opening Plenary
The GLOBE Forum Opening Plenary will set the stage for a transformational GLOBE Week as we embark on a collective journey that promises to inspire.
Conference Program
Tracks:
- All
- Business & Competitiveness
- Cities & Infrastructure
- Energy & Technology
- Materials & Resources
- Finance & Investment
- Policy & Trade
Ballroom
Climate Risk and Investment
Climate risk is no longer the 800 pound gorilla in the room; it’s quickly moving out of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) conversations, and into mainstream investment and corporate decision making. What are the roles of corporate policy and practice in measuring and managing this risk?
Room 1
New Strategies, Tools, and Resources to Reduce Water Risk in Business
Water is fundamental to business, and its available volume and quality directly impacts the bottom line. A host of new business tools—from ever-improving data sets, to the Sustainable Development Goals—are helping leaders better value water and manage the risk of scarcity. This session will explore the impact of these new tools, how we can best respond to this information, and what it all means to investors.
Room 2
The Road to Smart Cities is Data Driven
Last year, the World Council on City Data launched the Dubai Declaration, which reaffirmed open and standardized city data as the “universal language of cities.” This session will examine how private sector leaders are partnering with local governments to put this data to work and help ensure urban centres grow increasingly sustainable, smart, inclusive, and prosperous.
Ballroom
SPARK Talk – Visions of our Future
Despite being key stakeholders in our clean economy, young people remain on the fringe of the sustainability dialogue. Citing her personal journey , 17 year old Kehkashan emphasizes that it is time for a change in the status quo.
Ballroom
A Responsibility to Disrupt: Insurance and our Changing Climate
Climate change isn’t a future concern. It’s here, today, and showing up in our communities as more frequent, and more intense, storms, floods, and wildfires. According to MunichRe, economic losses associated with extreme weather events in the 1980s were approximately US$ 41 billion (adjusted to 2017 values), and reached US$ 167bn in 2017.
Room 1
Pathways to 100% Renewable Energy
More than a hundred leading businesses have committed to powering their global operations entirely with renewable energy—and others are close behind. Last year, according to Bloomberg New Energy Finance, 43 corporates signed long-term agreements for a record 5.4 gigawatts of clean power.
Room 2
Bio-economy: Enabling Products of the Future
As traditional markets for traditional wood products continue to be impacted by global supply chains and competition, global markets are placing greater emphasis on new materials and applications in the bio-economy.
Room 10
Mindfulness – A Tool for Leaning into Change during Innovative Times
We invite you to attend this session on managing change and the stress that often accompanies times of innovation. By staying attentive and curious about an experience in the present moment and noticing automatic reactions, these reactions can be interrupted: expanding the ability to tolerate uncertainty, build resilience, and problem solve more effectively.
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Canada’s Sustainable Financial Future
Canada’s financial sector stakeholders recognize the critical importance of a transition to a prosperous, inclusive, low carbon and climate resilient economy.
Room 1
Life’s a Gas: Examining our Poly-Fuel Future
A transition in fuels is underway. While trusted sources continue to evolve and new varieties are entering the market, costs are volatile and the questions about their environmental and economic impacts keep growing. Low and zero-carbon energy is currently in short supply and the technological barriers to its adoption can be daunting.
Room 2
Preparing for Tomorrow’s Cars Today
It’s still early days, but local governments are grappling with the prospect of Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared (ACES) vehicles. This panel of corporate and government experts will outline the latest thinking on tomorrow’s mobility of the future and what this means for infrastructure, business and policy making.
Room 11
Global Goals With Gusto: True Stories from SDG Early Adopters
In 2015, the United Nations launched the Global Goals for Sustainable Development, and challenged the business world to help end extreme poverty, fight inequality, and protect our planet. Three years later, how are the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, playing out in boardrooms?
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Climate Leadership and Clean Economy Showcase
Join us for this powerful and inspiring three-part session showcasing leadership in sustainability, climate action and the clean economy.
–Ethan Zindler of Bloomberg New Energy Finance will share his expert perspective on the scope of the investment opportunities within growing clean energy markets.
–The GLOBE Climate Leadership Awards will be presented by the Honourable Catherine McKenna, GLOBE Series and partners to four exceptional Canadian organizations that are at the forefront of climate change action.
–Explorer and advocate Emily Penn closes out the session with an inspiring SPARK talk on how we can collaborate to save our oceans, drawing on her experience at sea for over a decade.
Room 8
Traditional and Emerging Sources for Protein: Finding the Balance
A swelling human population is pressuring traditional protein sources; the proliferation of animal protein production and seafood extraction is threatening ecosystems. The hunt is on for alternative protein sources. Can we assume that our consumption of animal proteins will fall, or indeed that it should?
Room 2
Learning from the Past, Looking to the Future: Building Urban Resilience
In the wake of devastating hurricanes, fires and floods in 2017, we bring together experts to assess “what does the future of resiliency look like?”.
Room 11
The Bottom Line: Implementing the FSB Task Force Recommendations
Last year, the Financial Stability Board Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) released its recommendations. More than 230 companies, with a collective market capitalization of more than $6.3 trillion have endorsed the recommendations.
Vancouver Club
GLOBE After Dark: Bright Lights, Blue City
Connect with fellow Conference delegates in one of Vancouver’s oldest, most prestigious venues in the heart of the business district.
Room 2
Dubai Advantage: From Future to Reality
Dubai’s commitment to a smart and sustainable future has transformed the city into a global innovation hub, supported by continued Government investment in physical, digital and soft infrastructure, hosting of the world “EXPO 2020 Dubai” and accelerating the adoption of disruptive technologies, making Dubai the perfect location for foreign companies with equally ambitious expansion or innovative start-up plans.
Ballroom B
Clean Energy Policy: Mitigating Risk, Driving Opportunity
Energy systems transformation can be a messy, chaotic process fraught with uncertainty for workers, companies, and whole economies. This session will view the energy transition through the lens of mitigating risks and maximizing emerging opportunities.
Room 1
Leveraging the Ratings and Rankings of the ESG Ecosystem
Mainstream research firms are expanding their in-house Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) capabilities and introducing a range of new products and offerings. As a result, companies must navigate an increasingly complex system to accurately communicate their performance to the markets and key stakeholders.
Room 8
Optimizing the Impact of Finance
How can financial institutions create a positive impact while optimizing financial returns? Finance will only flex its social- and environmental-impact muscles when it becomes accessible to everyday investors, savers, and companies.
Ballroom B
SPARK Talk – Embracing Systemic Change
Systemic solutions seek to harness the underlying causes of social and environmental challenges. They’re the counterpoint to the “band-aid” approach that may provide immediate relief to a problem, but leaves intact the larger forces that gave rise to it.
Ballroom A
Blockchain and its Emerging Role in the Clean Economy
What exactly is blockchain and how can it help to reduce environmental impact? This interactive dialogue will begin by clearly illustrating this distributed ledger technology.
Room 1
Carbon Pricing: Growing Clubs and Forging Links
Since GLOBE Forum 2016, more than 40 national and sub-national governments have designed or modified their carbon pricing systems. China detailed its national emissions trading scheme, leaders of countries and regions across the Americas signed the “Carbon Pricing in the Americas” declaration, Mexico mandated a national carbon pricing program, and Canadian provincial, territorial, and federal leaders inked the Pan-Canadian Framework on Clean Growth and Climate Change.
Room 2
SPARK Talk – Something Worth Dying For
Captain Pete Bethune shares his extraordinary journey that has seen him cheat death on multiple occasions, as he seeks to save the world’s endangered wildlife.
Room 11
Energy Futures Collaboration: Indigenous Partnerships to Drive Social, Economic & Ecological Impact
Across Canada and the world, Indigenous governments and communities are playing an increasingly active role in collaboration on energy projects. The Province of Alberta, for instance, has reserved 300 MW of its upcoming 700 MW renewable-power auction for proposals that include Indigenous equity ownership.
Room 8
Harnessing Next Generation Innovation
Making youth engagement a focus in any policy development or technology initiative will accelerate action across the board and cultivate a generation of champions for the future we want and need.
Ballroom B
Straight From the Top: How Boards Are Responding to Calls for Increasing Disclosure and Purpose
Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) practice is marching on the boardrooms. Increasingly, investors are scrutinizing companies, institutions, and whole industries under an ESG microscope.
Room 2
Textiles and Ocean Pollution: Science and Industry Tackle a Global Issue
Ocean plastic pollution represents a global crisis. And microplastics – the tiny particles that make up plastic – contaminate our lakes, rivers and oceans, as well as land-based environments. Recent research suggests that the shedding of microfibres in laundry from synthetic garments may represent a growing contribution to microplastic pollution.
Ballroom A
The Grand Tour: A Showcase of the World’s Most Innovative and Resilient Infrastructure
Architects, planners, engineers, and designers are responding to the climate resilience challenge with tremendous innovation and creativity.
Ballroom B
Digitalization – New Systems New Thinking Driving Sustainability 4.0
In our increasingly digital world, big data, machine learning, material science and other new technologies serve as important tools that catalyze and drive sustainability forward. But put them together as part of a broader system, and new opportunities emerge that accelerate innovation, increase efficiency, reduce material loss and protect human health.
Room 1
Scaling Cleantech Through Innovative Financing
The cleantech sector’s dominant venture-capital financing model hasn’t historically demonstrated strong performance, but new sources of public and private capital may be on the way.
Room 2
The Circular City: Closing Loops and Creating Jobs
Cities are engines of economic growth. They are also voracious consumers of energy and resources, and producers of waste.
Room 11
The 2 Degree World: The Future of Stranded Assets
Many energy executives now accept that we cannot continue to build large-scale fossil-fuel infrastructure projects if we are to also remain on a 2 degrees pathway. What do investors expect oil and gas companies should do with these high-cost assets?
Crystal Pavilion
Ballroom B
SPARK Talk – Alone in Antarctica – Lessons for our future?
Felicity Aston talks about her experience skiing 1744km across Antarctica alone and reflects on ways in which the Antarctic Treaty could be used as a template for the future.
Room 2
SPARK Talk – The Roots of Climate Skepticism: Research-Based Strategies to Build Support for Climate Action
According to recent surveys, just 54 percent of Americans understand that climate change is mostly caused by human activity. We can assume that a significant portion of your investors, customers, and employees still believe that the jury is out on the causes of, and solutions to, climate change.
Ballroom B
Beyond Clean Capitalism
“Clean Capitalism” was the topic when, in 2014, Robert F. Kennedy Jr and Wal Van Lierop last sparred at the GLOBE Series. In the talk the two debated the pace at which technological change needed to happen moving towards a reduced carbon world.
Ballroom A
Hacking the Future: How AI Can Boost Resiliency and Improve Conservation
Data can help tell us about the health of our planet, including the conditions of our air, water, land and the well-being of our wildlife. But we need help converting this ocean of data into actionable intelligence.
Room 1
Green Dragons and Entrepreneurial States: Combining Public and Private Initiative to Unleash Clean Innovation
Clean innovation is critical to the competitiveness of every sector, but unleashing it isn’t easy. It takes a smart mix of private initiative, far-sighted investment, and entrepreneurial government action. A venture capitalist (and dragon), a resource/cleantech CEO, a policy entrepreneur, and an international economic expert share the latest global thinking and business insights on how to build a cleaner, smarter economy.
Room 2
Global Positions on Climate Policy: Who’s Leading the Charge?
With shifting geopolitical priorities, new leadership is appearing on the climate horizon. Hear from jurisdictions at the forefront of climate action at the sub-national level, including in the United States and within emerging markets.
Room 8
Energy Reimagined: Rethinking Business Strategies to Navigate the Transition
Traditional business and operating models in all sectors are adapting to an evolving energy ecosystem. New businesses and operating systems will emerge across the value chain, covering all facets of energy production, transportation, consumption and conservation.
Moderated by EY, this workshop will feature panellists from a variety of sectors to share lessons learned. In breakout sessions, we’ll also explore:
– What will the critical impacts of the energy transition on Canada’s business community be, and how can businesses win given the future of energy?
– What environmental and technological drivers will shape the new energy ecosystem?
– How can we move to a model that is more inclusive, affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable?
– How do we make the energy future an investable value proposition?
– What role will the financial sector and proceeds from carbon pricing schemes play?
Ballroom B
Energizing 21st Century Electricity Markets
Today’s electricity systems reflect yesterday’s model. Utilities set up grids to serve large, centralized, mostly fossil fuel fired generation plants, far from load centres. But the future will be renewable, distributed, and more resilient.
Ballroom A
CFO Leadership in the Transition to a Sustainable, Low Carbon Economy
The International Energy Agency estimates the need to invest about $1 trillion USD per year in clean energy and related technologies to keep civilization on a 2 degrees pathway. The private sector will commit a substantial proportion of the necessary capital, in partnership with governments.
Room 1
Clean Technology in Canada: Public Sector Support for Innovation
With its 2017 budget, the Government of Canada began an audacious economic renewal initiative. The new Innovation and Skills Plan prioritizes innovation in clean technology and high technology. The strategy aims to improve access to financing, encourage investment, grow exports and support technology demonstration.
Room 2
The Internet of Water: Putting Data Analytics to Work
Up to 40 percent of water sent through city systems may be lost to leaks along the way due to aging infrastructure.
Room 11
Carbon Negative: Technologies at the Forefront of Innovation
It is not sufficient to decarbonize our energy systems. To reduce the worst impacts of climate change, we also need to effectively capture carbon at the source, or remove it from the atmosphere altogether.
Sinclair Centre
GLOBE After Dark: A Night at the Sinclair
Let your hair down, and bring your dancing shoes to this late night party open to all Conference delegates.
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Is the Future the For-Good Company? Engaging in an Age of Social Good
If you aren’t already embedding strong social and/or environmental objectives in your business—or if you’re already there, but want to your company to more tightly integrate purpose with profit—then you won’t want to miss this session.
Room 1
How to Forge a Highly Resilient Supply Chain
This dialogue will bring together experts to share their insights on how to forge a supply chain that reduces cost, manages risk, and fosters innovation. We’ll address strategies to engage suppliers, metrics to measure impact, and the ingredients of successful industry collaborations.
Room 2
What It Takes to be a High-Performing Company in a Post-Paris Agreement World
The extraction and processing of natural resources is a key driver of the North American economy. Uncertain geopolitical dynamics, finite resources, and significant environmental challenges are changing the rules of the game.
Room 8
Attracting Foreign Direct Investment: Leveraging Canadian Capacity in a Globally Competitive Market
Demand for clean technology and expertise is growing around the world. Canada is positioning itself to be a leader in the production of competitive technologies. To foster sector growth, innovation and economic development, Canada is set to attract international investment.
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SPARK Talk – By Endurance we Conquer
Tim shares the lessons learned from his journey to retrace the expedition of Sir Ernest Shackleton that he applies to achieving environmental outcomes, his insights into the kind of leadership Shackleton stood for, and how it can be applied to an issue like climate change.
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The Pacific Coast Collaborative: West Coast Leadership for a Sustainable Future
This session will feature a discussion of how BC, Washington, Oregon and California are jointly focused on building a sustainable future that works for the people of the West Coast.
Room 2
Turning Tides: Mitigating Ocean Plastics From All Angles
Each year, approximately eight million tonnes of plastic packaging makes its way from retail and other industries into our oceans. Global plastics production is expected to double in the next decade. As a global community, we’ve only just begun to address some of the low-hanging fruit, such as microbeads. What’s next?
Room 11
Skills Innovation: Navigating the Shifting Economy
An organization is only as good as the people it trains, attracts, and retains—and the same adage applies to entire economies. As the world shifts to a clean, technologically advanced economy, how can Canadian business leverage its strengths, build the skills and expertise of its people, and grow our climate of innovation to effectively compete on the world stage?
Room 8
Communication Strategies to Support Sustainability in C-Suite Decision-Making
The business case for your company’s sustainability initiatives is likely rock-solid. But unless you clearly convey your strategies, objectives, key performance indicators, and are reporting in plain language, you could be risking your hard-earned progress—and your company’s competitive edge.
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SPARK Talk – Ramping up the Energy Storage Solution
As grid operators work to integrate a growing proportion of variable-output wind and solar farms, utility-scale storage is meeting the challenge. Navigant Research expects the energy storage for renewables integration market will crest $23 billion by 2026.
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The World Energy Outlook and Closing Townhall
Leading governments and the largest companies in the world consider the International Energy Agency’s modeling and research the gold standard. The Paris-based agency’s work informs policy-making, planning and major infrastructure investment decisions, and has also identified sustainable development pathways.